Chuck Freilich is a senior fellow in the Belfer Center's International Security Program and a former Israeli deputy national security advisor.
Brief Analysis
The United States and Israel have long shared a "special relationship," but significant obstacles may exist to a substantive and comprehensive bilateral dialogue on issues related to the Iranian nuclear threat. On particularly sensitive issues, sovereign nations are loath to discuss openly their intentions and capabilities, even with their closest allies. If ever there were a test case for the strength of U.S.-Israeli relations, the Iranian nuclear program is that case.
To mark the publication of the new Washington Institute Policy Focus Speaking about the Unspeakable: U.S.-Israel Dialogue on Iran's Nuclear Program, by Chuck Freilich, The Washington Institute invited the author and Geoffrey Kemp to address a special Policy Forum on December 4, 2007. They also discussed the larger implications of the recently released National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program.
Chuck Freilich, who teaches at Tel Aviv and Harvard Universities, is The Washington Institute's 2007 Ira Weiner fellow. Previously, he served as Irael's deputy national security advisor for foreign affairs and as a senior analyst at Israel's Ministry of Defense. He is also currently a senior fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
Geoffrey Kemp is director of regional strategic programs at the Nixon Center, specializing in the growing role of China and India in the Middle East. During the administration of President Ronald Reagan, he served as special assistant to the president and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs on the National Security Council.
